LAKKI MARWAT: Heavy rain coupled with hailstones played havoc in parts of Bannu district, damaging standing crops, houses and roads.

Roofs and boundary walls of several houses also collapsed during the two-day-long rain spell. However, there were no reports of any human casualties from any part of the district.

The downpour also badly affected the standing wheat and gram crops and fruit orchards, besides disrupting business activities.

Local farmers said they were the hardest hit as rain and hailstones damaged their crops. They said harvest of gram crop would be delayed due to rains.

Residents said flash floods caused by rains also damaged roads and bridges.

Flash floods wash away portion of road, bridge

They said flash floods washed away a portion of a road and a bridge in Soorani area along the Kurrum River. They said the road linked several rural localities with the Bannu city. They asked the provincial government to arrange funds for reconstruction of the damaged portion of the road and bridge.

RENTS INCREASED: The tehsil municipal administration has announced a 100 per cent increase in the rent of its shops in Naurang town of Lakki Marwat district.

“The move is aimed to enhance the income of the municipal body to overcome its financial crunch,” an official said on Sunday. He said the tehsil municipal officer had issued a notification to that effect after the tehsil council had passed a resolution in that regard.

“Increasing rent of shops and open spaces owned by the civic body was inevitable to augment its revenue sources,” he maintained. He said rent of shops had been enhanced keeping in view the prevailing market rate.

The official said the municipal body would also build more shops and plazas on its open spaces.

SUSPENDED: Three officials of Naurang tehsil municipal administration were suspended for taking bribe and embezzling funds, tehsil municipal officer Kiramatullah Khan said on Sunday.

He said tax clerks, Matiullah and Javed Iqbal, were suspended for receiving fee from the general public to get their building maps approved, but not depositing the amount in the bank accounts of the municipal body,” he maintained.

He said the officials in connivance with other colleagues also defrauded people.

He said a Class-IV employee (naib qasid), Umer Ayaz was suspended for not depositing government money into the TMA accounts on time.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2023